LGBTQ+ youth are less likely to identify as religious than their peers
How many young people identify as LGBTQ+?
Among the 6,669 young people (ages 13-25) surveyed in Springtide’s 2024 Study of Young People and Civic Life, 22% identify as LGBTQ+. Among young people in the U.S., 10% identify as bisexual, 4% identify as gay or lesbian, and 8% identify with another LGBTQ+ identity.
How many LGBTQ+ young people identify as religious or spiritual?
Over half of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed identify as religious (53%). They are more likely to identify as spiritual (77%).
RELIGION
Compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers, LGBTQ+ young people are less likely to identify as religious. Just over three-quarters (76%) of non-LGBTQ+ young people identify as at least slightly religious compared to 53% of LGBTQ+ teens and young adults.
These trends in religious identity hold across age groups. Both LGBTQ+ teens and LGBTQ+ young adults report lower rates of religious identity compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Seventy-seven percent of non-LGBTQ+ teens and 76% of non-LGBTQ+ young adults identify as at least slightly religious. By contrast, significantly smaller shares of both LGBTQ+ teens (53%) and LGBTQ+ young adults (52%) identify as at least slightly religious.
SPIRITUALITY
When it comes to spirituality, the differences are less stark: 77% of LGBTQ+ young people identify as being at least slightly spiritual, which is slightly less than the 79% of non-LGTBQ+ young people who do the same.
However, differences emerge again when looking at teens. Eighty percent of non-LGBTQ+ teens say they are at least slightly spiritual, while a lower percentage (74%) of LGBTQ+ teens say the same. However, LGBTQ+ young adults (78%) are just as likely to be at least slightly spiritual as non-LGBTQ+ young adults (79%).
Note: See survey responses in the topline survey results and review methodology here.
